Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms

Not everyone with type 2 diabetes has symptoms, particularly in the early stages of the disease. In fact, 5.7 million of the 23.6 million people with diabetes are unaware that they even have the disease. Of those, 90 to 95% are those with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes symptoms may include one or more of the following:

Excessive thirst

Frequent urination

Extreme hunger

Unexplained weight loss

Fatigue, or a feeling of being "run down" and tired

Rapid breathing

Blurred vision

Dry, itchy skin

Headache Tingling or burning pain in the feet, legs, hands, or other parts of the body

Unlike type 1 diabetes, which frequently has a sudden onset of symptoms and reaches a crisis point before diagnosis is made, the signs of type 2 diabetes may be gradual and more insidious. Often, the first symptoms that people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes experience are those from complications of the disease, such as blurry vision (retinopathy) or foot pain (neuropathy).